Report outlines the reasons why Barcelona prefer Liverpool winger over Athletic Club forward | OneFootball

There is only one game left for FC Barcelona to play in the 2024-25 season, which is scheduled to be played against Athletic Club this coming Sunday. However, not much is at stake in this game, as the Catalans have already won the league title.

Meanwhile, as the end of the season approaches, the Blaugrana club’s plans for the upcoming summer transfer window are also taking their final shape.

Luis Diaz now the priority target for Barcelona

In this regard, recent reports indicate that the Liverpool forward Luis Diaz is now their first priority target for the upcoming transfer window.

This update about the club’s plans has been quite surprising, as Nico Williams has been another player for the left wing position linked closely with Barcelona, and the Athletic Club winger’s €58 million release clause makes him a very good market opportunity.

Reasons for this preference

In such a scenario, the Spanish outlet SPORT has published a report that highlights why the Blaugranes are now preferring the Colombian winger over the Spanish forward.

The report claims that the decision to opt for the former is not motivated only by financial aspects, but the Catalans are going for Diaz because of footballing and structural factors.

Athletic Club forward Nico Williams. [Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images]

This maturity and experience are among the factors that have made Deco and Hansi Flick favor the Liverpool forward, as they believe his wisdom and experience would be particularly helpful for a team filled with young stars.

As far as youth talent is concerned, Joan Laporta, Deco, and Flick are all in agreement that La Masia will continue to provide the first team with young talent that can turn out to be top-class players in the future.

Thus, the club wants something different from the market, and this desire goes in favor of the Premier League star. Furthermore, another factor that makes him a bigger priority for the Catalans than Nico is his versatility, as Arne Slot has played him as a number 9 frequently this season, and the Colombian has not disappointed playing in this position.

All these factors give Luis Diaz an edge over Nico Williams, even though there is no doubt that both these players would be very exciting additions to this Barcelona team.